Guy's+:

Baptismal regeneration works fine if you do not look at it through John 
Calvin's eyes.  You simply have to look away from the tulips and realize 
that a believer can choose to rebel against God and become apostate.

Remember Christ's parables of wheat and tares, good fruit vs. bad fruit, 
false prophets and that not all that call Him "Lord, Lord" will enter the 
kingdom of God.  Those parables were spoken to the religious people of His 
day in covenant with God not to lost sinners who were not Jews and not in 
covenant with God.

Stalin and Hitler are in hell for forsaking their baptismal promises and 
becoming apostate.

Bill+
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <GMSpencer@...>
To: <faithandlife@...>
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2005 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: FW: [FaithandLife] the meaning of the new birth



In a message dated 7/29/05 8:56:39 AM, mward@... writes:


> If baptism
> always "works," then Joseph Stalin (who, I believe, was at one time a
> seminary student) would be enjoying the Beatific Vision right now.
>

That would only be the case if the spiritual benefits of baptism, like
regeneration, cannot be lost and we know from the liturgical texts of the 
BCP that
is the case that those benefits can be lost eternally. It is a shame that
Stalin and Hitler were baptized, and if rightly performed, grafted into the 
body of
Christ's Church, but they did not remain so. Branches grafted into the Vine
of Christ may be broken off and cast onto the fire. In that case the 
indelible
mark of baptism only damns one with a greater judgment. Right?
Glenn+

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: faithandlife-unsubscribe@...